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How can a patriarchal blessing help me?

A patriarchal blessing is personal revelation for our lives. It helps us understand our potential and the blessings we can receive if we are faithful. It may contain promises, admonitions, or warnings to guide our lives. It also helps us know that Heavenly Father knows and cares about us personally.

Prepare yourself spiritually

If you have received a patriarchal blessing, how has it guided your life? How has it helped you in times of adversity? How has it inspired you?

In what ways can a patriarchal blessing be a guide in the lives of the young men you teach? Why is it important for them to know their lineage in the house of Israel? How can you help them prepare to receive a patriarchal blessing?

As you prepare, prayerfully study these scriptures and resources. What do you find that will be most helpful to the young men you teach?

Teaching in the Savior’s way

The Savior knows the young men in your quorum, and He knows who they can become. He has a work for each of them to do, and He wants to help them accomplish that work. How can you teach the young men about the Savior’s love for them as you talk about patriarchal blessings?

Let the young men lead

A member of the quorum presidency (or an assistant to the bishop in the priests quorum) conducts the quorum meeting. He leads the young men in counseling together about quorum business, teaches them their priesthood duties (from the scriptures and the Duty to God book), encourages them to share their experiences fulfilling their duty to God, and invites an adviser or other quorum member to teach a gospel lesson. He could prepare by filling out a quorum meeting agenda during a presidency meeting.

Begin the learning experience

Choose from these ideas, or think of your own, to review last week’s lesson and introduce this week’s lesson:

Show an object or picture to remind the young men about last week’s lesson. What experiences have they had applying what they learned? Ask them if they have any further questions or comments about the topic of that lesson.

Write on the board, “How can a patriarchal blessing help me?” Ask the young men to suggest answers to this question. Refer back to this question throughout the lesson. As a part of your discussion, consider sharing Elder Carlos A. Godoy’s story about how his patriarchal blessing helped him make important decisions in his life (see “The Lord Has a Plan for Us!” Ensign or Liahona, Nov. 2014, 96–98).

Learn together

Each of the activities below will help the quorum members learn about patriarchal blessings. Following the inspiration of the Spirit, select one or more that will work best for your quorum:

Invite one or more young men to share their experiences receiving a patriarchal blessing (or share your own experience). How have their patriarchal blessings helped them? (Remind the quorum that the specific content of patriarchal blessings is sacred and should not be shared.) Cut a copy of the article “About Patriarchal Blessings” into pieces, one for each question and answer. Invite a quorum member to select one piece of the article and share the question and answer with the quorum. What other questions do the young men have?

With the bishop’s permission, invite the stake patriarch to talk to the quorum about patriarchal blessings. Encourage the young men to ask any questions they have.

Ask the young men to write down any questions they have about patriarchal blessings. As a quorum, look for answers in True to the Faith,pages 111–13.

As a quorum, read President Boyd K. Packer’s comments about his patriarchal blessing in “Counsel to Youth” or President Henry B. Eyring’s story about receiving his blessing in “Help Them Aim High.” Ask the young men to identify ways a patriarchal blessing could help them and share what they find.

Invite the young men to read the scriptures suggested in this outline and share what they feel each scripture teaches them about patriarchal blessings.

Ask the young men to share what they learned today. Do they understand patriarchal blessings better? What feelings or impressions do they have? Do they have any additional questions? Would it be worthwhile to spend more time on this doctrine?

Teaching tip

“When an individual asks a question, consider inviting others to answer it instead of answering it yourself. For example, you could say, ‘That’s an interesting question. What do the rest of you think?’ or ‘Can anyone help with this question?’” (Teaching, No Greater Call [1999], 64).